Elizabeth Olsen biography

Avengers: Infinity War

Elizabeth Olsen was never a stranger to fame. Born in Los Angeles, she's the younger sister of celebrities Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, break-out stars from the TV show Full House.

Having appeared in her sisters' videos when she was small, Elizabeth began to go on auditions for other projects when she was in the fourth grade. By the time she was ten Elizabeth landed a small role in a local commercial. However, the auditions came at a price. Elizabeth found she had less time for other interests: ballet and sports. She decided to quit acting.

By age 16, Elizabeth began studying Russian theater, which resparked her interest in acting. In 2009, during her sophomore year, Elizabeth became the understudy for the Nicole Halladay character in the Broadway show Impressionism.

It was during this time that the youngest Olsen sister met her agent. Together they decided that theater would be the path for Elizabeth. This decision was partly motivated by the way the media had treated her older sisters after they had been thrust to the spotlight as babies.

However, Elizabeth still auditioned for movies, landing her first role six months after she began. The role was Zoe, Catherine Keener's character's daughter in Peace, Love and Misunderstanding. As she was preparing to begin filming, she came across the script for Martha Marcy May Marlene. After falling in love with the script and being cast as the main character—a young girl escaping from a cult—Elizabeth drove back and forth between both sets until filming was completed on both.

The 2011 film became a film festival darling and landed high praise for Elizabeth's performance.